As coroner, Jane Kennedy’s job is to investigate sudden or unexplained deaths in a beautiful English coastal community. With a new and intriguing case to investigate in each episode, starting with the discovery of a body, Jane finds herself having to work with her old flame Davey Higgins, who is now the local detective sergeant. The Coroner combines mystery and potential danger with the warm, lighthearted tone of Jane’s relationships with her colleagues, family and the local community. While Jane is talented and tenacious in seeking justice for the dead, her personal life is a bit more haphazard.
When a teenager is found dead at the foot of a tower, Detective Sergeant Davey Higgins believes it was a tragic suicide, but Coroner Jane Kennedy thinks there is more to the case than meets the eye.
The BBC daytime drama entitled, ‘The Coroner’, which is airing from 16 November 2015, has not been made with the permission or authorisation of M R Hall or his publishers. Any similarities between M R Hall’s original work and the BBC drama, are, according to the BBC, coincidental. The BBC was placed on notice of a number of potential similarities in early 2015 prior to filming. The BBC has been invited to change the name of its production but has declined to do so.
The screen rights to M R Hall’s books are held by a North American company which is currently developing a series based on them.
Production has begun on River, a new drama series written and created by Emmy award-winning Abi Morgan for BBC One.
Stellan Skarsgård (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) stars as John River, a brilliant police officer whose genius and fault-line is the fragility of his mind - a man haunted by the murder victims whose cases he must lay to rest.
Nicola Walker will play River’s colleague and confidant, Detective Sergeant Jackie ‘Stevie’ Stevenson, with Adeel Akhtar as Detective Sergeant Ira King. Lesley Manville will play their superior, Chief Inspector Chrissie Read. Eddie Marsan also joins the cast as a notorious killer who haunts River.
Further confirmed cast include Sorcha Cusack as Stevie’s mother, Bridie, and Georgina Rich plays police psychiatrist, Rosa.
The 6x60-minute series [] is being filmed in East London for transmission in 2015.
The series sees the return from maternity leave of DS Annie Cabbot, played by Andrea Lowe (Love Life, Monroe), immediately thrown into a harrowing case for a new single mother. Having acknowledged their feelings for one another in the last series, the new episodes focus on whether a romantic relationship between Banks and Annie can ever be a reality. However, there are inevitable complications as the pair come to acknowledge their own unique and challenging roles as colleagues and parents.
Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) also returns to the series playing DI Helen Morton, the disarmingly blunt and often socially inept detective who joined Banks’ team when Annie left for maternity. Helen has to confront her inflexible approach to both her home and work life; can her relationship with Banks help her to understand when to bend the rules? With both Helen and Annie working under Banks, will he successfully be able to juggle the opposing views of these two strong willed independent women? How far will Banks go to keep both these women at his side?
This series also sees the surprise introduction of Banks’ university dropout daughter, Tracy. Although on the surface, Banks and Tracy have a good relationship, it becomes clear that neither father nor daughter really know each other as well as they pretend. The distance between the pair means Banks cannot see the real danger Tracy soon throws herself into until it is too late.
It is 1969, and approximately six months since the shootings in the cathedral. Gently is taken by surprise when he learns of Bacchus's resignation, realising that his sergeant has lost his confidence. Still suffering his own scars from the incident, Gently sets about fixing Bacchus and insists that he help him investigate a death in custody - a case that has both Gently and Bacchus questioning what it means to be a police officer at a time when attitudes to the police are changing. Meanwhile, the victim's family ask the pertinent question: 'aren't the police supposed to protect us?'.
A body found in the lake turns out to be a girl from the local reform school. Lawson immediately suspects a gang of local hoodlums who have connections to the girl and gets Constable Parks to make an arrest. Lawson's ready to charge him, but Blake isn't convinced and together he and district nurse Mattie O'Brien to find out more about the reform school and the girl.The official series website is here and a second series is being filmed.
It has been announced that Kris Marshall (Lightfields, My Family) is to join the cast of BBC One's hit crime drama Death In Paradise as the latest lead detective, in the new series.
Series three will also see the departure of DI Richard Poole, played by Ben Miller. However, details of how and when Miller will depart remain tightly under wraps.
Joining series regulars Sara Martins, Danny John-Jules, Gary Carr and Don Warrington when filming starts on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe from next month, Marshall will play a bright, but rather disorganised and gawky DI, Humphrey Goodman, who is stuck in a mid-life rut and is looking to find a new life and fresh start.
Kris Marshall said: "I am thrilled to be joining Death In Paradise and finding out a bit more about what makes Humphrey tick. Six months filming on a tropical island with an amazing cast and glorious sunshine? What isn't there to love! I might even get myself a parrot!"
Following two hugely successful series, Miller leaves the show on a high, with an average of almost eight million viewers tuning in to each episode of the second series.
Ben Miller said: "I have absolutely loved my time on Death In Paradise and am sad to be leaving such a successful show, however DI Poole has made no secret of his struggle with the Caribbean heat, so I felt now was a good time to put him out of his misery! I know Kris will do a superb job and I'm delighted to be handing over the detective baton to him."
The crime drama Shetland is to return to television screens for three more two-part stories on BBC One.According to Shetland News, the books next to be televised (Red Bones was the first tv show) are Raven Black, Blue Lightning and the recently published, Dead Water.
Based on the novels of Ann Cleeves, the series features detective Jimmy Perez, played by Douglas Henshall.
The first series, aired earlier this year, attracted about 6m viewers for each episode.
Filming will begin in the coming months in Shetland and other locations on mainland Scotland.
